White House announces President Joe Biden will seek 2024 re-election

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that President Joe Biden does intend to seek reelection in 2024. Due to the drop in his approval ratings, some Democrats thought Biden, now 79-years-old, would not run again.

As Biden took Air Force One to a Thanksgiving event with troops in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Psaki confirmed that Biden wants to seek re-election. “He is. That’s his intention,” she said. Democrats were shocked by Republican victories across Virginia’s state elections in early November as well as a Democratic victory in New Jersey that was closer than anticipated.

If re-elected, Biden would be 82 at the start of his second term. He underwent his first physical examination on Friday since taking office in January. Doctors attributed frequent bouts of coughing to acid reflux and said he had a stiffened gait, but overall the doctors said he was fit to serve.

But Democrats are still speculating whether Biden’s plans could change in the next two years, considering the drop in his poll numbers due to dissatisfaction with the state of the economy and rising prices in particular.

Some have questioned the viability of Vice President Kamala Harris making a run for president in 2024 if Biden decided against seeking reelection, but her poll numbers are also low, with a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll finding her job approval rating at 28 percent.

During the 2020 Democratic primary, Biden said he saw himself as a transitional figure within the Democratic Party but considered himself in a unique position to beat former President Donald Trump. Biden’s desire to run for the office again could be fueled by the prospect of Trump also seeking reelection in 2024.